Denver Broncos / NFL

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell: "The ability to host a Super Bowl is more and more complicated, more and more complex because of the size of the events and the number of events. The infrastructure is incredibly important." (Jeff Gross, Getty Images)

NEW YORK — NFL commissioner Roger Goodell warmed the hearts of fans in cold-weather cities such as Denver as he voiced praise for holding the Super Bowl in the frigid New York-New Jersey area and expressed a need to bring the nation's most popular sporting events to "as many communities as possible."

Speaking Friday at his annual pre-Super Bowl "State of the NFL" news conference, Goodell said the late NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, the founding father of the Super Bowl, would be "very proud of where we are this week. We are doing something unprecedented and innovative. Something consistent with the essence of football and the Super Bowl."

"We cannot control the weather," he said as fake snowflakes floated down on him. "The forecast is terrific and football ready. Just to confirm we will kickoff at 6:30 (Sunday night Eastern time)."

While the cold and sometimes snowy February weather has been a main concern this year, Goodell stressed temperatures alone are not the critical factors in selecting a Super Bowl site.

"I think we'll all look back at this as a very important time in our history," he said about the league's first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold-weather city. "We know there's interest in other communities about hosting the Super Bowl. The ownership will sit back and review that when we're done, but we have a very aggressive process in how you select cities. The ability to host a Super Bowl is more and more complicated, more and more complex because of the size of the events and the number of events. The infrastructure is incredibly important.

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"There's over 30,000 hotel rooms needed, so some cities cannot do it, but we know the passion is there."

While Goodell would not directly answer a question about the response to this year's game impacting Denver's chances of getting a Super Bowl in 2019 or 2020, he said, "things are going well here because of the people's commitment here. The local officials have found solutions to problems and done a great job and that's why we have a successful event here. And it takes that no matter where you are. Whether in Denver, New York, or Houston or Arizona, next year. These events are very complex and a take a tremendous amount of planning."

The Broncos and the city of Denver intend to submit a bid to host the Super Bowl at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in either 2019 or 2020. The NFL is expected to name the finalists for the 2019 Super Bowl by October. Next year's Super Bowl will be played in Glendale, Ariz., followed by Santa Clara, Calif., in 2016 and Houston in 2017.

The three finalists for the 2018 Super Bowl include Minneapolis, Minn., where a new $975 million domed stadium for the Vikings is targeted to open in 2016.

The other 2018 finalists, New Orleans and Indianapolis, also have domed stadiums and were the sites of the last two Super Bowl games.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, whose team is the co-host of this year's Super Bowl with the New York Giants, said he had not given specific thought to Denver as a possible site, but said cold weather should not preclude a city from the selection process.

"I believe that playing outside is good. It's not all about golf and tennis," Johnson said. "The game should be played in the environment it's played in every day. That's what people like about football. It's a question about how many assets you have to support the game and all the other factors that go into it. I haven't looked at Denver. I've been busy enough trying to get our thing organized. But I have nothing against an outdoor game. Cold weather doesn't matter. I'm not sure you want to do every year, though."

Rockies relief pitcher John Axford, who hasn't pitched for the team since last Wednesday, was forced to leave spring training camp after his 2-year-old son was bit by a rattlesnake twice in his right foot.

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